1. Field of Technology
The present invention relates to an image scanning apparatus for scanning and imaging both thin media such as checks and slips and thick media such as cards, and to a hybrid processing apparatus incorporating this image scanning apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
Payment systems using checks are widely used throughout Europe and North America. This payment system enables businesses and consumers to use checks to make payments and financial transfers of many kinds. When a check is used, it is ultimately presented to the bank on which the check was drawn to either deposit or withdraw funds.
Bank tellers at each bank branch typically process many checks in a short time. The bank teller also typically confirms check validity, the check date, and the signature before completing the deposit or withdrawal. The teller also prints an endorsement on the back, and issues a transaction receipt as required. The teller may also require a driver license or other photo ID to check the identity of the person presenting the check (the check user), and in some situations may make a photocopy of the license or photo ID using a copying machine. A copy of the check is also captured and stored using a check scanner.
To process checks more efficiently by electromagnetically reading and processing information from each check, compact check processing terminals that can be installed at each teller window have been developed so that each teller can process checks more quickly with dependable accuracy.
These check processing terminals have a magnetic ink character reading (MICR) head, scanner head, and print head disposed along the check transportation path. When a check is received from a customer, the teller passes the check through the check processing terminal. The check processing terminal can thus read the magnetic ink characters printed on the check using the MICR head, capture an image of the check using the scanner head, and print an endorsement on the back of the check using the print head. See, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. 2000-344428.
In Japanese patent application 2003-066747 (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/759,868), a hybrid processing apparatus is disclosed that can image a check and a card such as a driver license. The check transportation path and the card transportation path in this hybrid processing apparatus share part of the same media transportation path. A contact image sensor (CIS) scanner is disposed to this common portion of the transportation path so that a single scanner can be used to scan and image different types of media, that is, both checks and cards.
A CIS scanner requires pressing the scanned medium with appropriate pressure against the sensor surface (document glass) of the CIS scanner. Cards such as driver licenses and photo ID cards, and slips such as checks, are typically significantly different in thickness. As a result, if the force used to press the scanned medium to the document glass (such as the force of a pressure spring) is adjusted for use with checks, the pressure means will be too weak to press a card against the document glass, and reliably pressing such cards to the sensor surface may not be possible. This is particularly a problem when the card is warped because the card cannot be pressed sufficiently to the sensor surface, the card is therefore not held at the focal point of the scanner, and the scanned image will be out of focus and difficult to read.
On the other hand, if the force of this pressure means is adjusted for thick media such as cards, too much pressure will be applied when scanning checks and other slips. The check may therefore be wrinkled, or a paper feed error (jam) may occur.